Thomas b



(No Model.)

B. TINNEY.

GAS RETORT LID. 170. 577,697.

Patenfed Feb. 23,1897.

FE Z- L i In WITNESSES: d W

NVENTOR;

W dmhq 'b mm (a r mm THE uonms PETERS cc. momumm WASHKNGTO A NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS E. TINNEY, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO WILLIAM MCDONALD, OF SAME PLACE.

GAS-RETORT LID.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 577,697, dated February 23, 1897. Application filed May 22, 1896. Serial No. 592,574. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, THOMAS B. TINNEY, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city and county of Philadelphia, in the State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Gas-Retorts, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates especially to the lids or covers employedto cover or inclose the mouths of retorts of the character referred to.

In retorts of this character, as is well known, it is customary, in order to secure a hermetical closure, to employ a lid provided withan inwardly extending flange, adapted to be seated in a mass of asbestos, or other packing, contained in a suitable packing seat or recess extending around the mouth of the retort, and conveniently formed between the lip of the retort and a circumferential rib upon the exterior of the same.

In practice, however, the tar or other pitchy residuum, formed upon the floor of the retort, after the subjection of the charge of coal to the action of heat, gradually crawls out from the mouth of the retort, at times when the retort lid is open, and, gaining access to the packing referred to, hardens, and prevents the projecting flange of the retort lid from embedding itself in the packing in such manner as to secure the contact required to prevent the escape of gas from the retort.

It is the object of my invention to provide a retort lid composite of two members, one of which, the door proper, shall be adapted to be seated directly against the lip of the retort, and the other, being a reinforcing fram e, shall be provided with a flange or member adapted to be forced against said door proper and a flange to be entered within said asbestos packing.

' In the accompanying drawings I show, and herein I describe, a good form of a convenient embodiment of my invention, the particular subject-matter claimed as novel being hereinafter definitely specified.

In the accompanying drawings,

Figure l is a View in front elevation of that part of a retort known as the retort mouth piece, equipped with a lid embodying a good form of my invention.

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the structure shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a central, sectional, elevation of the same, section being supposed on dotted line rc00 of Figure 1.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

In the accompanying drawings,

A indicates the mouth piece of a retort, provided with the usual outlet, 01/, for gases, and provided at its mouth with a packing recess, formed between the lip a and a circumferential rib a formed upon the exterior of the retort, conveniently formed integral with the body of the retort.

The lip of the retort projects slightly farther to the front than does the edge of the rib a referred to.

a is a packing of asbestos, or other material, seated in the packing recess referred to.

B is a cotter'bar, adapted to be swung toward and away from the retort mouth, pivotally connected at one extremity to a permanent lug or bracket I), mounted upon the retort at one end of the retort mouth,--and as to its other extremity adapted to engage with a latch or device by which it may be secured in position, across the mouth of the retort, to maintain the door or cover which it carries in close contact with said mouth.

The latch referred to may be of any convenient construction. That shown in the drawing, consists of a latch bar I), pivotally connected at its inner end to a lug b the outer portion of which bar is adapted to enter a slot b in the cotter bar 13, and is as to its extremity provided with an elongated nut b threaded upon it.

As will be understood, the bar I)", may be swung outwardly from the slot b to release the cotter bar B, so that the latter, carrying the lid, may be swung away from the mouth of the retort, and, as will be understood, can be moved back into said slot when the cotter bar B has, to close the retort, been returned to the position shown in Figures 1 and 2.

After the said bar has been entered in said slot, b the cotter bar B may be forced into closer proximity to the mouthof the retort, if desired, by the tightening up of the nut b b is a projecting stud, adapted to serve as a support for the free end of the cotter barB, and to maintain it in such position that the bar b will, when swung on its pivot, engage with certainty in the said slot.

The lid consists, as hereinbefore mentioned, of two distinct members or parts. One of these I term the door proper, D, and the other a reinforcing frame, designated E.

The door proper, D, consists of a plate of metal the outline or plan of which corresponds to the outline of the mouth of the retort, and the dimensions of which are such that its outer edge is flush with the outer edge of the lip a, against which lip said door is adapted to be seated, the edge of the lip and the interior face of the door being so adapted to each other that a very tight contact or joint is made between them.

The door D is mounted upon and carried by the cotter bar B, a connection between said door and bar being preferably effected by means of a plurality of studs d, projecting rearwardly from the outer face of said door and engaged in suitable apertures in the cotter bar.

The studs dare of such length as to extend through and beyond the apertures in the cotter bar, so that by virtue of the movements of said studs in said apertures the door is capable of slight adjustment with respect to the said cotter bar and is therefore adapted to be self-adj ustin g when it is seated against the lip of the retort.

Shoulders cl are formed in said studs 01 near the bases of thelatter against which the cotter bar bears, when closed and latched, to force said door tightly against the lip of the retort.

The exterior face of the plate D embodies an annular recess gin which is seated a mass of packing g, asbestos or any suitable material being used for the purpose.

The reinforcing frame E consists, in the form shown, of an annular plate, provided with a carrying spider c and also with the two projecting annular flanges 6 e 0 is a driving screw mounted in threaded relationship with respect to the cotter bar B, equipped at its outer end with a hand wheel O and at its inner end swiveled in the carrying spider e.

The projecting flanges e e are so arranged that when the parts are in the closed position shown in the drawings the first mentioned flange is adapted to seat itself in the packing a in the recess a 'and the second of said flanges is adapted to seat itself in the packing g in the recess 9.

As will be understood, the cotter bar B supports the door D through the studs (1, and also supports the reinforcing frame E through the driving screw 0, and said door D and reinforcing frame E, of course, participate in the opening and closing movements of said cotter bar B.

In the closing movement of the lid, the cotter bar B is brought to its closed position and latched in the manner described. When the bar is in its latched position it bears against the shoulders on the studs 61 and forces the door D tightly against the lip of the retort.

By revolving the driving screw 0, the reinforcing frame is forced against and into the packing a and against and into the packing g with the result that the joint between the door D and the lip of the retort is reinforced by the joint between the flange e and the packing a and the tightness of the contact between the door D and the lip of the retort A is further increased by the pressure of the flange 6 against said door.

To open the lid, the driving screw 0 is first rotated to the left to carry the reinforcing frame out of contact with the packing a and the packing g and the latch bar 6 is thrown out of the slot Z) to release the cotter bar B, and said bar B is then swung upon its pivotal connection with its bracket 6, and the entire lid thus moved away from the mouth of the retort.

As will be understood, in the closing movement of the lid, the door D makes contact with the lip of the retort before the reinforcing frame makes contact with the packing,- and in the opening movement of the lid the reinforcing frame is drawn away from the packing before the door D is drawn away from the lip of the retort, with the result that the tarry matters within the retort are prevented from becoming commingled with said packing, a result also partly due to the fact that the plate or door D, which is in contact with the said tarry matters in the interior of the retort, at no time comes in contact with the packing a ,the only part of the lid coming in contact with said packing being the reinforcing frame which is not subjected to contact with said tarry matters.

As it is usual to mount retorts one above the other in batteries of two, three or more, and as the tarry residuum escaping from the mouth of the upper of said retorts is liable to flow down upon the doors of the lower retorts, as said retorts are ordinarily constructed, my invention further comprehends the provision of a projecting shield or apron F, mounted beneath the mouth of the upper retort.

This shield or apron F is conveniently made as a downwardly inclined shelf-like structure of the character shown in the drawings in which it is shown as attached to the under side of the retort, and extending slightly beyond the front and sides of the retort month.

As will be understood, in the operation of the devices, tarry products flowing out of the retort mouth will drop upon said apron and run down and off the front edge of the latter, said apron operating to deflect such drippings and protect the retort below from being clogged therewith.

Having thus described my invention, I claim 1. In combination with a retort, a cotterbar hingedly connected thereto, and a closure for the mouth of said retort, consisting of a door, and a re-inforcin g plate, means for connecting said door to said cotter-bar, and independent means for connecting said re-inforcing plate to said bar, substantially as set forth.

2. In combination with a retort, a lid consisting of a door adapted to make contact with the mouth thereof, and a reinforcing plate adapted to engage in a seat formed in the exterior of the retort and also to bear against the exterior of the door, and a cotter bar hingedly connected to the retort and upon which said door and reinforcing plate are mounted,-substantially as set forth.

3. In combination with a retort, a lid consisting of a door adapted to make contact with the mouth thereof, a reinforcing plate adapted to engage in a seat formed in the exterior of the retort and also to bear against the exterior of the door, and a cotter bar upon which said door and reinforcing frame are mounted,substantially as set forth.

4. In combination with a retort, a cotter bar mounted thereon free for swinging movement, means for retaining said cotter bar in closed position, a door adapted to make contact with the edge of the retort mouth, and provided with studs engaged in openings in said cotter bar, a reinforcing frame provided with a spider, and a screw shaft threaded in said cotter bar and swiveled in said spider, substantially as set forth.

5. In combination with a retort, a cotter bar mounted free for swinging movement, means for retaining said cotter bar in closed position, a door adapted to make contact with the edge of the retort and provided with studs engaged in openings in said cotter bar, a reinforcing frame provided with a spider, a screw shaft threaded in the cotter bar and swiveled in said spider, and a flange forming a part of said reinforcing frame and adapted to enter a seat formed for it in the exterior of the retort,substantially as set forth.

6. In combination with a retort, a cotter bar hingedly connected thereto and latched, a packing recess formed in the exterior of the retort, a door, a packing recess formed in the exterior of said door, packing mounted in said packing recesses, a reinforcing frame having flanges adapted to enter said packing recesses, means for connecting said door plate to the cotter bar, and means for adj ustably connecting said reinforcing frame to the said cotter bar,substantially as set forth.

7. In combination with a retort, a cotter bar mounted thereon, free for swinging movement, means for retaining said cotter-bar in closed position, a door adapted to make contact with the edge of the retort mouth, and provided with studs equipped with shoulders intermediate of their lengths, the outer portions of which studs are engaged in openings in said cotter-bar, a re-inforcing frame provided with a spider, and a screw shaft threaded in said cotter-bar, and swiveled in said spider, substantially as set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have hereunto signed my name this 20th day of May, A. D. 1896.

THOS. B. TINNEY.

In presence of- F. NORMAN DIXON, THos. K. LANCASTER. 

